Fri 20.5.

Following the renovation of the auditorium at the Royal Institution of Engineers in The Hague, the Rotterdam-based practice AAArchitects has realised this lustrous glass foyer which opens onto the adjacent garden of the institute.

The linear hall, which also serves as a passageway to the auditorium, encompasses a long coated-steel bar which runs along the centre of the hydraulic cylinders-operated oversized door. The design of this striking glass-and-silicone façade echoes that of the original gridded windows, while its surface incorporates grey solar control glass which has been employed to prevent the foyer from overheating during the hot weather.